The Penn State Workforce Education and Development Initiative conducted an analysis of the economic impacts of coal mining in Allegheny and Washington counties and released an Economic and Workforce Brief, “Role of Coal Mining in the Economy of Allegheny & Washington Counties.” The Brief quantifies the role of every 100 workers employed by the coal mining industry in generating jobs, compensation, and property taxes in the region. F

This Brief helps explain the impact of plans recently announced by Consol Energy to lay off workers at Mine 84 in Washington County. Consol Energy has issued a notice under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act that warns a layoff will occur in November 2007. This layoff could affect up to 111 of the 482 workers currently working at the mine. The main reason for the layoff is the inability for the mine to meet its target for return of capital. For more about the Mine 84 layoff, refer to the following websites:
http://tinyurl.com/34qj55  
http://tinyurl.com/38dzpu
http://tinyurl.com/2rvwx5

Data from the 2002 Economic Census, the most recent economic census available, indicate that there were 36 establishments in the Pennsylvania involved in underground bituminous coal mining that generated $1.3 billion in receipts (13.6% of US receipts of bituminous coal underground mining) with 4,965 employees (12.3% of US employees in bituminous coal underground mining) and an annual payroll of $266.7 million (13% of US payroll of bituminous coal underground mining). The underground bituminous coal mining industry includes companies mainly engaged in developing underground bituminous coal mines, mining the bituminous coal in underground mines, and beneficiating the bituminous coal (e.g., cleaning, washing, screening, and sizing). The analysis in the Brief focuses on the impact of the entire coal mining industry in Allegheny and Washington counties.

An analysis behind a Penn State Economic & Workforce Brief targets an industry (a group of establishments providing similar products or services), not an individual firm. As a result, economic and workforce impacts calculated for a Brief represent an industry average, not the impacts generated by an individual firm.

For additional information about this Brief or about the work of the Penn State Workforce Education and Development Initiative, contact Rose M. Baker (814.865.9919; rmb194@psu.edu) or David L. Passmore (814.863.2583; dlp@psu.edu). To view other Brief reports produced about other Pennsylvania industries and regions, navigate to: http://PSUBrief.notlong.com
Order a Brief for your area using a form provided on this web site.